Burning Hearts
by Shini02
Summary: A series of oneshots. Set in an AU combining both movies. 02: Potential: Bowen and Draco see so much of themselves in Geoff and Drake.
1. Road to Nowhere

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except for this AU.

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**Road to Nowhere**

"You're late," Bowen said with little amusement as he watched the young man run down the hillside, almost tripping repeatedly over the jagged rocks hidden in the tall grass.

"Sorry," Geoff apologized as he doubled over and flopped down beside the knight, laying on his back and closing his eyes. "Had to clean the stables. Brother Gilbert and Friar Peter wouldn't let me go till I was finished."

Bowen chuckled. "And such is the life of a stable boy," he mused, earning himself a playful shove from Geoff. "If cleaning stables tires you so, I can't imagine what makes you think you'll make it as a knight."

"I'll make it as knight just fine!" Geoff said in his own defense, opening his eyes and propping himself up on one elbow to look at Bowen. "I'd rather swing a sword around all day than haul hay around."

"Just because you'd _rather_ swing a sword around," Bowen air-quoted Geoff, "doesn't mean it's going to be easier than hauling hay around with a pitchfork. Keep that in mind, boy." A knight's life was a dangerous one. Bowen personally thought Geoff would be better off tending to the stables until he was old and gray, living a life so sheltered it could make Brother Gilbert jealous.

"Yeah, yeah," Geoff huffed, wrinkling his nose. "So, what did I miss?" He asked, now leaning back on both elbows and looking up at the sky.

"Not a damned thing," Bowen replied, stifling a yawn. "This is going nowhere fast."

"Really?" Geoff asked and suddenly snapped his attention westward, watching the beast in the sky heading toward them. There was a smaller body held loosely in the large dragon's talons, and a smaller set of wings were spread out, flapping every once in a while. Not a moment later, the smaller body was released and plummeting to the ground in a clumsy free-fall.

"Really," Bowen laughed as he stood himself up and jogged casually over to the young, fallen dragon. Geoff chuckled softly as he reluctantly hoisted himself up to follow after the knight, ignoring the ache in his legs from his previous sprint.

"I'm alright," Drake mumbled before either human could open their mouths to get the inevitable question out. He stood slowly on uneasy legs to shake himself free of uprooted grass and weeds.

Geoff smirked and brushed a stubborn piece of grass from the young dragon's shoulder. "Yeah? And what about your pride?"

Drake smiled half-heartedly at his human friend. "It's not _my_ pride I'm worried about," he said quietly and shrunk back a little when his father landed behind Bowen and Geoff, brow furrowed and jaw clenched in aggravation.

"Oh..." Geoff mumbled and slowly stepped away from Drake, walking around him to stand at Bowen's side. As much as he liked Drake, he definitely didn't want to be caught between him and his father's wrath.

"Go easy on him, Draco," Bowen said and didn't bother hiding the fact that he was obviously amused by the situation. Draco had been trying to get Drake airborne since the break of dawn and now, at noon, the young one was still grounded.

"I _have_ been going easy on him, Knight," the older dragon said with a deep sigh. Drake winced at the tone in his father's voice and bowed his head, eyes focused on the ground beneath his clenched foretalons. "I fear _he's_ the one giving _me_ a hard time," Draco continued and, despite his agitation, reached out to tap his son's chin, causing Drake to meet his gaze.

He wasn't angry, just frustrated and he wanted his son to know he harbored no hard feelings toward him.

"What's the problem, exactly?" Geoff asked from his place beside Bowen, arms crossed over his chest and head cocked to the side.

"He won't flap his wings when Draco releases him," Bowen said simply. "Goes stiff like a board and falls out of the sky every time."

"Oh," Geoff said quietly. "Well," he looked at Drake, "have you tried taking off on your own?"

"Yes," Draco answered for his son. "Given the fall was far less stunning on his part," he ignored the laugh from Bowen, "but the result was the same in the long run."

"Then I'm all out of ideas," Geoff said and smiled apologetically at his friend. Drake gave Geoff a half-smile back and let his wings droop against his haunches.

"This is hopeless," the young dragon murmured to no one in particular. An arm suddenly slung around his neck made him smile to himself and he was thankful for Geoff's silent encouragement.

"You'll never get off the ground if that's way you're thinking," Bowen said, eyebrow arched and arms crossed over his chest. Drake cocked his head to one side and it took everything Bowen had to ignore the equally curious look Draco was giving him.

He once told Einon that no one ever found victory in the dirt. This situation was hardly any different.

Breathing out heavily through his nose, causing plumes of smoke to rise from his nostrils, Draco looked from Bowen to Drake. "Right then," he sighed and spread his wings, pushing himself into the air easily without knocking either Bowen of Geoff over in the process, "once more."

"Are you sure?" Drake questioned as his father took him into his grasp again.

"You've tried my patience quiet enough for today, don't make me start repeating myself as well," Draco said with a little sigh as he rose higher into the air.

"I'm sorry," Drake apologized and watched as Bowen ushered Geoff back, forcing the stable boy to sit on the grass with him again.

"Don't apologize," Draco murmured, glancing down at his son, rising higher and higher still.

"But–"

"No buts," Draco insisted and glanced down at the younger dragon, a small smirk on his lips. "Just flap," he said simply, now hovering in one place, wings moving vertically to keep him upright.

"Just... What?" Drake questioned and suddenly his father's grip on him loosened. "Father!" He exclaimed in surprise and instinctively clawed at Draco's hands as he pulled away, barely managing to knick him, never mind hold onto him.

"_Flap_, child!" Draco snapped, albeit too late. Drake was already in free-fall again. Groaning, Draco ran a hand over his face in an all too human-like manner.

Bowen laughed as Drake rose to stand a few feet away and, once again, shook himself free of the grass and weeds. Bowen only laughed harder when the young dragon sighed in aggravation, a sigh that could put his father's to shame and let himself fall back to the ground, flat onto his stomach, with a rather loud _thud._

-End


	2. Potential

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything aside from this AU.

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**Potential**

The village he had just saved from the dragon menace proved to be one of the most profitable he had ever come across. Grinning broadly to himself for a moment, Bowen tugged on the money bag's drawstring, closing it up tight before he tied the worn brown leather pouch to his belt.

"Let's fly away from here!"

Bowen took hold of his horse's reins and gave a small tug, easing the horse into a halt as he tried to pinpoint where Geoff's voice was coming from. Judging from the odd echo, Bowen assumed the stable boy was above him, more than likely on the ledge of the cliff he was taking a dirt path around.

"I don't want to fly."

The knight looked up, hearing Drake quietly reply to Geoff. He had to use a hand to shield his eyes from the sun but his guess had been correct; he could see Geoff and Drake at the very edge of the ledge.

"Of course you wanna fly!" Geoff's voice rose just a little and Bowen found himself starting to smirk. He knew Drake meant it when he said he didn't want to fly. The young dragon still wasn't sure of himself when it came to flying, often ending up taking only short flights every few days to please his father. But Geoff persisted nonetheless, "what do you think those wings of yours are for?"

The silence lasted for barely a moment as Bowen watched Drake examine a wing, lazily flapping it as though finally understanding just what the leathery appendages were truly for. Still, Bowen had his doubts that the two would be flying off into the sunset together any time soon.

"You see those mountains?" Geoff asked, turning around and motioning to the vast landscape far off in the distance. Drake nodded slowly. "Beyond those are..." Geoff turned around to look at the young dragon again, "are other kinds of people!"

_No better than the ones in this land_, Bowen thought.

"And treasure!"

Bowen laughed softly to himself. True, there was probably more treasure beyond the boarders of Einon's kingdom than any man could ever need in a lifetime, but what good would come of owning such riches in the end?

"And adventure!"

Bowen rolled his eyes, smiling half-heartedly up at the oblivious boy and dragon. The sense of real adventure died out long ago with Arthur. The would-be adventurers of today weren't in it for the thrill, they were merely out to make a name for themselves. Judging from the tone in Geoff's voice, he was no different.

"And glory!"

The smile on Bowen's lips vanished. The only glorious thing left in the world to be sought out were the ruins of Avalon. And without Draco, Geoff would never find that holy place. Bowen knew that there was no glory lying hidden away, waiting to be discovered by some hot-headed youth.

"You can get us out of here," Geoff said, voice quieting for a moment. "Take us away from the monastery, get us away from Friar Peter, from Mansel!"

And suddenly Bowen had a feeling that this wasn't something to be taken seriously. Geoff _was_ a teenager, after all. He was going through those awkward, rebellious years, eager to be out on his own and free, not stuck under the thumb of some higher power. Even if being stuck under someone else's thumb was for his own good.

"And then we could come back and be more famous than Bowen and Draco!" Geoff said boldly, voice rising again.

Upon hearing this, Bowen chuckled and smiled again. The kid's ambition was admirable but his dreams were beyond even the sky's reach.

Geoff reminded him too much of himself in his youth sometimes.

"All you have to do is open your wings and jump," Geoff sighed.

"I'm not going anywhere," Drake said stubbornly. "I'm staying right here. I like it here."

Geoff threw up his hands in aggravation. "It would have been better for everybody if I was the dragon and you were the stable boy!"

Bowen laughed at that, shaking his head as he gave his horse's sides gentle kicks, urging the animal to move forward again. He didn't need to hear the end of the argument, the worst had been said and forgotten already.

"I'd like to see that!" Drake's voice rose and Bowen noticed Geoff was walking quickly away from the young dragon. Drake didn't bother going after his human friend, equally annoyed with the other for the time being.

"Stupid dragon," Bowen heard Geoff sneer, but the knight couldn't help thinking the dragon had been the more sensible of the two.

---

"Well, it certainly took you long enough, Knight," Draco mused as he watched Bowen dismount his horse and walk over to a log to take a seat. "Took the scenic route, did we?"

Bowen grinned at the dragon as he removed his cape and let it fall beside his feet. "You could say that."

"Oh?" Draco inquired, shifting to lounge on his side now, cheek resting in his palm. "And what did you see that was worth keeping you?"

The grin on Bowen's lips remained where it was. "Myself," he replied simply, shrugging.

"Yourself?" Draco arched an eyeridge. Though before he could inform Bowen that narcissism was not the most flattering of habits, Geoff stormed through the campsite, avoiding logs and walking until he was seated as far away from Bowen and Draco as possible. Draco watched the young man and furrowed his brow, slowly looking back to Bowen. "Ah. I see," he nodded and smirked.

"Mhmm," Bowen murmured and watched the stable boy now tearing at a twig, breaking it once, twice, then throwing it into the bush beside him. Glancing at Draco, Bowen said, "I saw you, too."

"Really?" The dragon chuckled, understanding exactly what the knight was saying now.

"Really." Turning his attention back to Geoff completely, Bowen continued, "it's strange how much of myself I see in Geoff every now and then. But it's just plain frightening how much Drake reminds me of you sometimes."

Draco nodded, deciding to watch Geoff as well now. The boy was tearing apart another, thicker twig. And when this one put up a bit of a resistance, refusing to break as easily as the first, the stable boy tossed it away with a frustrated sigh. Draco chuckled softly. "I've noticed the similarities myself. And I wonder if it's pure coincidence or something more."

"Care to elaborate?"

The dragon smiled inwardly, stealing a glance at the stars before bringing his attention back to Geoff. "Fate has strange ways of keeping worthy legends alive, Knight of the Old Code."

-End


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